IRG 15- March 2011

[Maggi Young]

IRG 15 will go online on Friday 25th March but here is a little good news to tide you over.......
from IRG15......
    http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2011Mar251301088655IRG15_March_2011.pdf

---Surprising Discoveries---

We are delighted to have received, at short notice, an unexpectedly happy story from the war troubled country of Afghanistan. We did not have space to include the whole article in IRG15  but we are pleased to have Paige Woodward present the full story, with many more photos, here in the SRGC Forum : a Tale of Iris stocksii


This story concerns a South African on security detail in Taliban territory who found a beautiful plant, which proved to be Iris stocksii…. an Iris of the Juno section that had been  lost to cultivation.

The finder was Juan Piek, and this story all began when, trying to identify the plant, Juan stumbled on the website of Paige’s Pacific Rim Native Plant Nursery and sent her an email.

We are all too well aware of the horrors of war so I imagine that most of us will take heart from the account of this extraordinary event and the brave and welcome finding of this flower.

There is a Forum connection apart from Paige : Rafa Diez Dominguez  had posted photos of the Iris in 2009 to the SIGNA Iris Database. The plant had been found in Pakistan by a friend of his, Mr. Muhammad Ali Musa. Thus two rediscoveries of this Iris have happened within quite a short time. 

Thanks to Paige  and to Rafa for their roles in helping Juan and Muhammed in their efforts to re-introduce this Iris, and other fine plants.

[Lvandelft]

Paige, I was just told by a friend that this tulip already was found by Paul Furse in the sixties in Afghanistan where the hills were colored red in those years when in flower. They were thinking Papaver in flower first.
The name is indeed Tulipa borsczowii.

Could not answer on the other page of IRG?

[Maggi Young]

Luit,  we are keeping that page just for the article.

Arnis Seisums  had tentatively called it Tulipa borszczowii, which, as Paige wrote, was not thought to have been recorded in Afghanistan before this.
This further tale of a finding by Paul Furse is another twist to the story.

[Lesley Cox]

To my mind, Paige's article with the photos and further notes is perhaps the most exciting post ever to have appeared on the Forum. Whether one loves junos or not - and I do - the story she has told, the adventure undertaken by the soldier and subsequent participants, add up to a thrilling tale of the finding and for the love of a plant. I'm tempted to print it all out and pin it around my room where I use my computer.

It also reminds me a little of a picture Arthur Nicholls sent to me a couple of year back, of his "minder" in Iran. The soldier supplied by the authorities to look after Arthur, complete with high powered rifle slung across his back, was on his knees in the dust taking a picture of a little red tulip. While the battles rage and the politicians of the world work out more ways to feed their urges for power, sane men, even fighting solidiers, can see and appreciate the beauty and excitement of small flowers growing from the battlefield. We surely can take hope from this.

[ranunculus]

Utterly fascinating!
I know someone in New York State who will be drooling over the image of the Astragalus!!!
A magnificent feature that illustrates all that is remarkable about alpine gardening and the wonderful people who participate in it!!!

... And hearty congratulations to the 'team' on yet another amazing IRG ... you keep coming up with the goods.    

[Pacific Rim]

My thanks to all of you, including private correspondents, for your enthusiasm and patience.

[Pacific Rim]

Luit, thank you for your comment.
You say Paul Furse found Tulipa borszczowii in Afghanistan. I am far from botanical libraries. What
is your source, please? Is there a voucher, or an extractfrom a diary, or correspondence, or some catalogue?

[Lvandelft]

Luit, thank you for your comment.
You say Paul Furse found Tulipa borszczowii in Afghanistan. I am far from botanical libraries. What
is your source, please? Is there a voucher, or an extractfrom a diary, or correspondence, or some catalogue?

Paige, there have been publicated a series of articles by Paul Furse in several RHS
Daffodil and Tulip Year Books.
The T. borsczowii is described in the 1966 and 1968 issues.


The Daffodil and Tulip Year Book 1962, RHS:
Paul Furse
Tulip species in Iran and Turkey 1960

The Daffodil and Tulip Year Book 1964, RHS:
Paul Furse
Tulips in Iran and Turkey 1962

The Daffodil and Tulip Year Book 1966, RHS:
Paul Furse
Tulips in Iran and Afghanistan 1964


The Daffodil and Tulip Year Book 1968, RHS:
Paul Furse
Tulips in Iran and Afghanistan 1966

In the 1966 issue Furse describes that he found them :
“very abundant in the sandy and stony dry area each side of the Iran/Afghanistan frontier, from Meshed to Herat, at about 4000 ft.”…..

[Otto Fauser]

Just stumbled upon Paige's utterly fascinating article on the rediscovery of the legendary Iris stocksii.
 I echo Lesley's sentiment that the story of its rediscovery and reintroduction is the most exciting news ever to appear on the Forum . I had been searching for a photo of this rarity in vain for years - such a stunningly beautyful Juno.

  In 1965 Paul Furse sent me seed of his collection of Iris stocksii P.F. 5731 , but unfortunately the bulbs died before they reached flowering size - so now I'm rather saddened that I could not enjoy its beauty all those years ago .

[Rafa]

I missed all this post about Iris stocksii.  My colleague in Pakistan collected to me several times seeds an I distributed it trough many people but I am not sure if they had success with it. Glad to hear that it was collected in other places this way it could be more genetic variability in culture.
Beautiful pics, by the way.

[mark smyth]

I missed this also. A fascinating read!

[Maggi Young]

I've just moved Rafa and Mark's comments here from Paige's Forum page on the continuation of the  Iris stocksii story from IRG 15  : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6967.0

[Rafa]

Thank you Maggy.

I would like to add to this story of Iris stocksii, some words about Mr. Muhammad Ali Musa who is an excellent person, very generous, and a very good photographer. It's not easy to collect in Quetta or just take pictures, you have to take several risks, like being shot at by bandits or falling down by a ravine with the motorbike. But this is nothing compared  with the dramatic events he had to live when his own son was murdered at the age of 31, before his eyes, by two killers, probably Taliban. So, what I would like to mean is the difficult scenario and circumstances to collect that Musa has, and this makes even more valuable the efforts that he is doing for showing Flora from Pakistan, and makes me admire him even more.

Great Musa!